Saskatoon Transit is currently upgrading the onboard Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) in its buses to enhance the delivery of real-time bus information. Riders using mobile and web apps may experience interruptions to real-time bus location information during this upgrade. This will not affect the ability to plan trips as the apps will continue to provide bus schedules and service alerts.

This implementation is expected to be complete in mid-December.

Saskatoon Transit thanks you for your patience while this important upgrade is completed.

Saskatoon Light and Power will be putting up holiday decorations on some city bridges on November 20th and 21st. Work will begin tomorrow on Broadway Bridge and continue Wednesday on University Bridge. Crews will be out between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. to limit the impact to road users.

This will be a moving work zone and will impact traffic in both directions during the course of each morning. Road users are reminded to slow down in work zones and be respectful of workers.

Parking and lane restrictions will be in effect in the downtown area on Sunday for the Santa Claus Parade, between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. There will be no access to roads along the parade route within Idylwyld Drive, 23rd Street, 5th Avenue and 19th Street.

Road users are encouraged to allow extra time to reach their downtown destination, and to watch for extra people at crosswalks.

Starting tomorrow morning, sections of Lorne Avenue will be closed between 4th and 8th streets for tree pruning. This work is expected to take one day to complete, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances. Intersections in this work zone will remain open while work is underway.

Winter is the optimal season to complete pruning as it provides better visibility and easier removal of dead and dying limbs. Winter pruning also reduces the risk of the spread of disease.

Last week, members from Saskatoon’s host committee attended the 2018 Creative City Network of Canada’s Creative City Summit (Summit) in Mississauga, Ontario, to promote Saskatoon as next year’s Summit location to their colleagues across Canada. This three-day conference for municipal cultural workers provided an opportunity for Saskatoon to share knowledge and highlight its dynamic arts and culture scene.

The City of Saskatoon continues undertaking improvements to its Transit shelters, bus stops, sidewalks and other related infrastructure.

Funded by the City and the Government of Canada, which invested $5.3 million through the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund toward these projects, this work will ultimately help better connect people to this important local transportation network. In Saskatchewan, the federal PTIF program is administered by the provincial government.

Lakewood Civic Centre undergoes regular maintenance to ensure the safety and enjoyment of its patrons. This year, the facility will be closed for its annual maintenance from Monday, November 26 to Sunday, December 16, 2018. All programs will be cancelled during this time. Regularly scheduled programming will resume on Monday, December 17, 2018. The Cliff Wright Branch Library will remain open.

Patrons are encouraged to attend any of the following five leisure centres:

Household hazardous waste includes corrosive, flammable or poisonous materials like aerosols, cleaning products, pesticides, fertilizers and more. Putting these materials in your garbage or recycling, or pouring them down your drain, contaminates water and landfills.

Take care of your household hazardous waste responsibly by bringing it to our LAST Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Day on Saturday, November 17, 2018.

Queen Street between 4th and 5th streets will be closed for water line maintenance on Thursday, November 14, starting at 9 a.m. This work is expected to take one day to complete, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Road users can expect road closure will add a few minutes to daily commutes. They’re encouraged to use King Street as a detour route and to allow extra time for their commute.

With the colder temperatures setting in, grizzly bears Mistaya (miss‑TIE’‑yuh) and Koda (KOH’-dah) are well on their way to beginning their third hibernation at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Zoo).

Preparation for the bears’ hibernation has been underway for several weeks. The Zoo has worked closely with fRI Research and wildlife nutritionists to carefully monitor the bears leading into hibernation.

November is fall prevention month and the Saskatoon Fire Department wants to ensure that citizens most at risk for a fall, adults over the age of 65, are aware of the options available through the Remembering When program. Remembering When offers helpful information around fire and fall prevention aimed at reducing fires and/or falls.

Starting Saturday morning, sections of Lorne Avenue will be closed between Taylor Street and 4th Street for tree pruning. This work is expected to take 2 days to complete, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Winter is the optimal season to complete pruning as it provides better visibility and easier removal of dead and dying limbs. Winter pruning also reduces the risk of the spread of disease.

Starting Monday morning the intersection at Taylor Street and Munroe Avenue will be closed for storm water sewer repairs. This work is expected to take two days to complete, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Saskatoon is in full winter mode. Almost 3 centimetres of snow fell Sunday and Monday, temperatures have dropped, and people are re-learning how to navigate winter driving conditions. Almost as instantly, City road maintenance operations switched from street sweeping and pothole patching to plowing and sanding.

Any upcoming work to plan for the future of Downtown Saskatoon should consider an arena in the Central Business District. A report to be considered Tuesday by the Governance and Priorities Committee outlines the suggested course.

“As we’ve been asked to do, we carefully reviewed the analysis of whether to renovate or to build new event and convention facilities,” says Director of Planning and Development, Lesley Anderson.

Drivers and sidewalk users are encouraged to use caution this morning on their commute as everyone adjusts to winter road and sidewalk conditions.
City crews were out overnight plowing and grading high traffic roads, and continue to apply a combination of pre-wet sand and salt to reduce ice.

Starting tomorrow morning, 20th Street West between Avenues R and S will be closed to replace a water and sewer connection. This work is expected to take 2 days to complete, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

The afternoon commute may be slower than normal due to winter driving conditions. Low temperatures and windy conditions are creating icy spots on many streets across Saskatoon.

The City will continue to apply a combination of pre-wet sand and salt to reduce ice on high-traffic roads through the afternoon commute. Plows, graders and sanders will continue to focus on high traffic roads such as Circle Drive, 8th Street, Idylwyld Drive and 22nd Street to improve conditions for the morning commute.

Starting tomorrow morning, Avenue H S between 20th and 22nd streets will be closed to replace a water and sewer connection. This work is expected to take 2 days to complete, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

The exit ramps for eastbound traffic on Highway 16 to go northbound or southbound on Boychuk Drive, will open on Tuesday, November 6 (see gif diagram here).

The Boychuk Drive and Highway 16 interchange is one of two under the Saskatoon Interchange Project. It opened on September 30 and the interchange at McOrmond Drive and College Drive opened on October 17. Construction on both interchanges started in April 2017 and both are expected to be totally complete by the end of July 2019.

Saskatoon roads have a thin film of ice after Sunday’s heavy rain and overnight freezing temperatures. Early morning flurries and more snow in the forecast for today can hide slippery patches. Drivers are reminded to slow down and use extra caution on high-traffic roads and priority streets such as Circle Drive, overpasses and bridges, and when approaching intersections.

Starting tomorrow morning, 33rd Street between Junor Avenue and Matheson Drive will be closed to repair a water main. This work is expected to take 2 days to complete, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Signs will be in place detouring road users around the construction area and remind everyone to respect the work zone. These detours will cause delays so road users should allow extra time for their daily commute. Access to sidewalks will also be reduced during this project.

The City is providing a final collection for all green bins before the compost depots close and the seasonal program ends. Every green bin will be collected on their regular day between November 1 and 7, regardless of whether it is your scheduled week. Please place your green cart at the curb by 7 a.m. on your regular pick-up day starting Thursday, November 1.

The exit ramps for eastbound traffic on College Drive to go northbound or southbound on McOrmond Drive, will open on Wednesday, October 31. Opening the ramps will create free-flow traffic, eliminating the need for College Drive traffic to turn right from the eastbound lane in order to go northbound or southbound on McOrmond Drive. (see gif diagram here).

City Council approved the adoption of a new purchasing policy at its October 22, 2018 meeting, the measure recommended by the Standing Policy Committee on Finance.

The new policy, which takes effect December 1, 2018, now reflects best practices for public procurement, and brings the City’s policy into compliance with trade treaty obligations. It draws on criteria from federal and provincial procurement rules and will use ‘best value’ rather than lowest price in the procurement of civic goods and services for the City.